Proposed Nova Scotia container terminal takes step forward

The prospect of a highly automated container terminal in Nova Scotia took another step forward this month when a Chinese company agreed to a feasibility study.

China Communications Construction Co. Ltd. agreed to begin construction on the container terminal pending the results of the research. The facilities would be located at Sydney Harbour and would include infrastructure such as business operations, roads and a rail line. While it isn't certain that construction on the terminal will begin, as long as the feasibility study produces positive results construction is expected to begin.

"It's not a done deal until it's a done deal but they've already begun the work and they've studied the harbor, and it's just a great day for us today to have the largest port construction company in the world agree to partner with us," Albert Barbusci, the chief executive officer of Harbor-Port Development Partners, told The Chronicle Herald.

Nova Scotia port would be equipped to handle large vessels
CCCC agreed to build the terminal and related infrastructure if Harbor-Port Development Partners can put together financing and find container lines to agree to call on the port long term, the Journal of Commerce reported. The feasibility study will be conducted by CCCC and Bechtel as part of an engineering consortium. The research is set to begin in January.

The proposed terminal would have an initial capacity of 500,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) per year, according to the JOC. If there is enough demand following the facility's completion, capacity could be increased to 1 million TEUs annually. The proposed terminal at Cape Breton Island would be equipped to handle large 20,000 TEU ships, making it the only location on the east coast of Canada or the U.S. with those capabilities.

Proposed port could secure future of rail line
The future of the Cape Breton and Central Nova Scotia Railway (CBNS) could depend on the development of the port, according to CBC News. The railway's president, Louis Gravel, explained that if the port comes to be it could assure the secure future of CBNS. The rail line intends to work with Harbor-Port Development Partners to determine whether they can work out an agreement connection the proposed port to other locations.